Customer Reviews

Arbor Bona Arbor Mala

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Its very strange but the words written by the previous reviewer could have been my own - they perfectly explain how I have always felt about this album.
I started listening to The Shamen shortly after the release of "Entact" and while I feel that all of their albums are jems within the musical landscape Axis Mutatis is in my mind their most powerful and complete musical expression.
Axis Mutatis takes me to mental places that I can't really describe in words. If I tried to describe them I would probably use words like powerful, magical, transcendental, organic, timeless, and mystical. But that's just the thing, one can't really describe such experiences with words - deep mental spaces like the ones opened up by this music seem to lie outside of time, space, and codified language and must be experienced directly.
Those of you with open minds please find this album and listen to it without preconception. I think you will like what you find.

There is that invisible line between what can be understood and what sounds like neural noise. The level of consciousness determines that. This I believe, is a new musical codice, a new interface to the divine.

With what appears to be the demise of what I believe to one of the most important musical markers for our civilization... one of the most under rated and under played artistic combos our world has ever seen... They leave a legacy of amazing recordings to be studied and enjoyed for generations. I strongly recommend the music of the Shamen for its enlightening qualities and entrancing rythms. Every album is like a small vacation from the present.

This album has the ability to transform your consciousness if you the ability to hear it for what it is. It's not going to open up to you on the level of most of their other work. It's deeply mysterious, mathematicall organic, gaiian, timeless, and far-reaching. I can't listen to this album without being reminded of deep connections between the seen and unseen world, time and space. Life in this moment.

The Shamen perhaps doomed themselves with the initial success of En-tact and "Move Any Mountain." Axis Mutatis has its own flavor, though...where En-tact was uplifting and Boss Drum was quirky, Axis Mutatis is content. "MK2A" is an unforgettable track, "Destination Eschaton" and other tracks are pretty standard Shamen fare, along with the usual sampling of experimental stuff. If you're a Shamen fan, it's worth getting; if not...En-tact is probably worth a look first.

I loved 'En-Tact', I was mostly bored by 'Boss Drum' but 'Axis Mutatis' is wonderful! All of the tracks are layered and display a strong musical intelligence. I have trouble understanding why this album didn't catapult the Shamen back into the spotlight.

More than music
Beneath the beat
Words that can connect
With the divine
If you but listen

Now this seems to be a bit of a cult album among some Shamen fans - they see it as a perfect antidote to the Ebeneezer Goode anthem that tortured the charts for a long time . Personally I find this antidote a bit hard to swallow . A couple of the pop tracks are a bit bland and tasteless , the more experimental tracks are even more varied in terms of how good or bad they are . Some are pretty dark and trippy but the others just verge on the brink of completely out there , a bit too much for my liking ( and I have to admit that is something of an achievement ). The second CD follows in a similar vein . Explore by all means but if you don't like it I can understand you as I'm not sure about it either

One to buy only if you want to

I am a Shamen fan, but this album was a complete disappointment. The music seemed weak, lyrics rather weak, and production quality not as good as it could have been. I just can't figure out what happened. It sounds like a different group. Even as a concept album, there is nothing novel to this album so that doesn't explain it either. I feel like I got suckered into buying this album because so many other people gave it high marks. Don't make the same mistake I did. You can skip this album even if you're a die hard Shamen fan.